


and i try to refrain, but you’re stuck in my brain

by spinning_out



Category: Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, the other characters make brief appearances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28950213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinning_out/pseuds/spinning_out
Summary: Brad and David’s relationship progression, as told throughout each episode.*please read the notes at the beginning*
Relationships: Brad Bakshi/David Brittlesbee
Comments: 16
Kudos: 12





	1. Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> okay hi everyone- this has been 4 months in the making, but here is the start of my super long braddavid fic, and i’ll be updating this as i go
> 
> i have a majority of the chapters/episodes written, but there’s still some things i have to fill in. i’m hoping to get this fully up within a month or so, and would really enjoy hearing your feedback 
> 
> this is dedicated to abbi, who i owe a good amount of ideas in this to, because i text her practically every thought that i come up with for this fic
> 
> anyways that’s all i wanted to say for now, i hope you enjoy
> 
> title is from Is There Somewhere by Halsey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> s1e1- Pilot
> 
> Brad and David meet for the first time, and David figures out his own feelings while Brad chooses to keep to himself.

**_“Our legacy, whatever.”_ **  
**_“It’s not my legacy.”_ ******

Brad had never been big on the video game scene. He was familiar with the basics of playing them, but he never got as invested as most other people he had encountered. Street Fighter was his personal favorite, and he had played Mythic Quest a few times before he even started working for the company. Brad applied at MQ knowing it would pay well, and was pleasantly surprised when he got the job. Brad was good at handling money, so Head of Monetization was a pretty big position. Brad found himself _wanting_ to stay because of the people he got to work with. As eccentric as everyone was, Brad realized that he belonged at this job. Sure, they all got on his nerves, and it was rare for Brad to ever actually express his appreciation for them, but the MQ staff was like his family. He was surprised at how nice everyone had the capability of being. Although Brad was excluded from a good share of things, he sometimes didn’t mind it. 

On his first day, Brad came in with very few guesses as to what would happen on a day to day basis. He didn’t expect Ian’s constant antics, or Poppy’s criticism over those antics, and he _definitely_ didn’t expect to actually get along with any of his coworkers. This job was for the money, and the money only. Brad had once vowed to keep his work relationships strictly work-related. He didn’t need any attachments to people getting in his way. 

That was the plan, until he met David. They had failed to tell Brad that he would be sharing an office with someone, and Brad remembered being slightly taken aback when he saw the second desk in his office. A man not much older than him turned around in the chair at said desk, and smiled brightly. He stood up and walked over to Brad. 

“I’m David, the Executive Producer.” David said, sticking out his hand. “I take it that you’re Brad?”  
Brad placed his things down on his desk and shook David’s hand. “That’s me.”  
“It’s great to finally meet you, we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together. You know, sharing an office, and all.”  
“If you’re the executive producer, how come you don’t have an office of your own?”  
David rubbed the back of his neck, laughing in a way that made Brad blush. “Ian pretty much thinks he’s more important than anyone else here, so he took over the biggest office, and stuck us together.”  
“Makes sense, I guess.”  
David smiled again, and Brad found it hard to look away. 

Brad cleared his throat. “Ian said he’d give me a tour once I got all my stuff in here, so I should probably go find him.”  
“I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”  
“Yeah, thanks.” 

Brad took another look at David right as he walked out of the room. He couldn’t get David’s smile out of his head. Even as Ian led him around the studio, David was on his mind. His eyes were a deep blue, with strawberry blonde hair and freckles littering his face. Brad couldn’t help but fall for him. It was only his first day, but maybe there were things to look forward to at this job after all. 

Brad didn’t want to assign any names to what he was feeling for David too quickly, but he didn’t know if he could go very long without at least expressing _some_ interest towards him. Brad got very easily attached to people, but he also found that he could drive people away. Immediately liking David was unexpected, and Brad didn’t want to lose David so early on. 

So he made a plan to at least tell David something simple. A compliment would suffice for now. Brad wasn’t usually so openly positive, or willing to put forth any form of affection towards anyone, but he could see David as someone worth changing for. 

Brad walked back to his own office after Ian led him around, now having met a good amount of the staff at MQ. Brad entered the room to find a woman talking to David. He was leaning against the edge of his desk, the woman stood in front of him, continuing to put a gentle hand on his arm. The woman was short, with dark hair pulled up into a bun. Brad briefly stopped in his tracks, trying not to interrupt. David turned his head towards Brad and smiled.  
“Oh, hey!” David said before turning towards the woman near him. “Anna, this is Brad. Brad, this is Anna, my wife.”  
Brad’s throat went dry, and all the words he wanted to say didn’t make it past his lips. _Of course_ David was straight. And he was married, no less. Just Brad’s luck. 

“Hi,” Anna said cheerily. “You’re new here, right?”  
“Yeah,” Brad tried to say, but his voice came out hoarse. He cleared his throat. “It’s my first day.”  
“Well, it’s nice to meet you.”  
Brad nodded. “You too.”  
He sat down at his desk, actually unpacking his small box of things. Brad kept his eyes down for the next few minutes, trying not to focus solely on David and Anna. 

“I should probably get back to work now, I just wanted to come see you on my break.” Brad heard Anna say.  
“Aw alright, you’re always welcome to stop by whenever.”  
“You don’t have to remind me everytime,” Anna teased. “I’ve known that since you started working here.”  
“I’ll see you at home, honey. I love you.”  
“Love you too, Davey.”  
Brad caught sight of David blushing slightly, but he looked away again when David leaned in to give her a kiss goodbye. Anna waved bye to Brad, which he returned with a two-fingered salute. 

Brad knew that any chances he had with David were out the window. David was sweet, and Brad was really starting to like him, but he didn’t want to ruin any sort of friendship that they might be able to have. Brad kept his feelings a secret, hoping they would go away. 

3 years down the line, those feelings only got stronger, and admitting them out loud was somehow more difficult than ever. 

— 

David surveyed the office, explaining to Jo the ins and outs of Mythic Quest. Jo was definitely an attentive listener, and he was looking forward to introducing her to the rest of the team. He hoped things would go over smoothly in the staff meeting in a few minutes, as it was very easy for an argument to start between any members of the staff. Ian and Poppy were definitely the most irritable, but even Brad and David could go up against each other sometimes. Brad liked to give David shit for a lot of things, and David could get very easily fed up with him, yet they had an oddly close bond. Brad let his guard down just a little bit when he was alone with David, something David always appreciated. Jo snapped his attention back to the conference room, where there was a staff meeting being held without him. It wasn’t uncommon for David to be forgotten by his colleagues, but it still hurt to see as he strode towards the meeting room door. 

David had always been an observer. He was often good at reading people, and paid attention to smaller details about his surroundings. Like how he noticed Brad the second he walked into the conference room. Brad didn’t seem able to tear his eyes away from David, and David was equally as drawn to Brad. They kept stealing glances at each other, and even when David was looking away he could feel Brad’s eyes on him. 

The rest of the staff often talked about how they hated Brad, and David couldn’t help but feel bad for him. David certainly didn’t hate Brad, though what he did feel for him was something he never dwelled on for very long. The reason for avoiding it was something he also avoided. Brad was just… well, he was Brad. He was an asshole, and he was really one of the most stubborn people you’d ever meet. But Brad was also the first person David confided in about his divorce, and he was the person who eagerly read every book David ever recommended him. It was easy to tell when Brad had a soft spot for you. David had picked up on lots about Brad over the years, all of them that began to make his heart race just at the thought of them. David _had_ to figure out what it was that made Brad so special, and he knew just the person to talk to. 

“Carol, I don’t know what to do.” David groaned, opening the door to the office of Human Resources.  
“What is it now?” Carol huffed.  
David sat down on the couch and looked down at his hands. “Just, everything is confusing. Raven’s Banquet is almost ready to launch and that should be the biggest priority, but that isn’t even what’s constantly occupying my mind anymore.”  
“Is whatever is on your mind inherently work-related? Because this isn’t therapy, David.” 

David ignored her question, unable to stop himself from talking. “It’s Brad. Brad is so distracting all of a sudden. I know that I’ve talked to you about him before, but I can’t get his image out of my head. There’s many more pressing issues to attend to, so why him? Why has it become all about Brad?”  
“David, I’m gonna ask you something, and I’m gonna need you to think about it before you answer, okay?” Carol said, raising her eyebrows.  
“Okay.”  
“Is it possible that you like Brad?” 

David opened his mouth, but no words were coming out. He thought about Brad again, and the feeling he got whenever they were near each other. 

That’s when it clicked.  
That feeling was of having a crush. 

It was the same feeling he would get when the boy in his English class used to smile at him, or when his high school girlfriend kissed him for the first time, or when he first met Anna. 

“Holy shit,” David said under his breath. “How did you figure that out?”  
“You’ve been coming to me for years, which still isn’t what you’re supposed to do, but I’ve picked up on how often you bring up Brad.”  
“What should I do? It’d probably be easy just to tell him, wouldn’t it?”  
“I cannot help you with that, because to remind you, I’m not a therapist. As for work, there’s some papers you would have to fill out, but dating your coworkers isn’t directly against the rules.”  
David blushed at the thought of dating Brad.  
“Yeah, uh, thanks Carol. You’re really good at what you do.”  
“This isn’t what-” Carol sighed. “You know what, nevermind. Our time is up for today.”  
David gave her a tight-lipped smile and made his way to the door. 

David walked head first into someone the second he stepped out of Carol’s office. He felt two hands on his shoulders to steady him. David looked up and was met with Brad, the exact person he for once wasn’t hoping to see. David tried to jump back from Brad’s hold but wasn’t able to wrestle himself away. He shrugged his shoulders slightly and Brad dropped his hands, realizing he hadn’t let go. 

“You okay, D-Train?” Brad asked, eyeing him warily.  
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” David stammered, his voice cracking slightly.  
Brad stifled a laugh. “Make sure to watch where you’re going the next time.”  
“You got it, dude.”  
David cringed the second the words came out of his mouth. Brad gave him an incredulous look and nodded.  
“You’re sure you’re okay?”  
“Yep. I, uh, have to go now.”  
“Okay then. See you around, I guess.”  
“Yeah, see you.” 

Brad patted David’s arm quickly before walking off. David turned to go back to his office, his face turning increasingly pink. David looked over his shoulder to where Brad was walking away, and didn’t expect to see Brad looking back at him. They both turned their heads back around quickly, going about their business. David didn’t know how easy this would end up being anymore. 

— 

Brad wasn’t surprised that nobody listened to Carol during the meeting. He had enough things on his own plate to be paying much attention himself. Raven’s Banquet was almost ready to launch, Poppy still didn’t want to code his loot crate, and he couldn’t shake away the way that David was acting in the hallway earlier. David was generally an anxious person, but there was something more to it. Brad’s initial thought had been that David was just caught off guard by Brad holding his shoulders. Brad knew that David often tensed when people moved towards him too quickly, or grabbed him too tightly, that was just an instinct reaction he had developed over the years. Brad easily realized that couldn’t have been the only reason why David seemed to be freaking out, because he never usually got upset when Brad touched him. 

What _did_ make sense was what Brad had heard through Carol’s door. He hadn’t meant to be eavesdropping, but he caught the sound of someone saying his name as he was walking down the hallway. It sounded like David. Brad wasn’t able to pick up on any specific words, but maybe that was for the best. Carol wasn’t a therapist, but the same rules applied when it came to the confidentiality of her discussions with the staff. Brad was probably the only one who didn’t talk to her about his problems. Not that he really talked to anyone about that anyways. Regardless, what David had said about Brad in the meeting with Carol was obviously something private. Brad only felt a little hurt that David didn’t consider bringing it up to him personally though. Had Brad done something wrong? Maybe David had caught on to how Brad acted around him and felt uncomfortable. That wouldn’t be the first time something like that had happened. 

The last thing Brad wanted was to come off as predatory, or anything bad like that. People would tend to assume that about Brad, solely because he was gay. He had lost a few friends when he came out during his teenage years, his last boyfriend in college dumped him on their 2 year anniversary, and a fair share of the various hookups he had just ended in him feeling empty again. So needless to say, Brad’s sexuality wasn’t his favorite conversation topic. He wasn’t ashamed of being gay, but he never felt the need to mention it unless it actually came up on its own. His mom and sisters knew, as did Ian, Poppy, and even C.W., but they were the only ones that really mattered. 

Brad couldn’t help but wonder if David had realized too, and that’s why he was acting so strange. What if David thought Brad was coming onto him? What if David thought Brad was weird or wrong for it? What if- 

“YOU’RE A DICK!” Jo roared, successfully breaking Brad out of his own thoughts.  
He had no clue as to what was going on during this meeting, but clearly things were getting heated. Jo was angry, Ian and Poppy were both yelling over each other, and David looked like he was about to pass out. Carol stood at the front of the room, a defeated and utterly confused look plastered on her face. Brad rarely liked to interfere, preferring to watch chaos unfold from afar, but even this was getting to be a little much. 

“Push the expansion.” Ian stated.  
“Do not push it.” Poppy countered, speaking through gritted teeth. 

David looked between the two of them, clearly panicking. He turned and Brad caught his eye, tilting his head in an expectant manner. He genuinely was curious to see what David would do here. David furrowed his eyebrows and looked around again quickly. 

“Okay, I choose Mom!” David exclaimed. “Poppy. Shit, I choose Poppy, is what I meant.” 

_That was weird._ Brad thought, seeming to be the only one picking up on David saying “mom” on accident. Ian absolutely wasn’t having it, and stormed off in a huff, shoving whatever he could off of the desks next to him. Brad watched surprisingly calmly as Ian left. Everyone at the office had witnessed what could happen when Ian didn’t get what he wanted, so this outburst wasn’t unexpected. Brad felt bad for David though, who was standing still with the same lost expression on his face. He always was stuck having to handle Ian and Poppy like they were children, which more often than not, that’s how they acted. 

Brad was about to approach David and ask if he was okay, but David quickly dismissed the remaining staff in the office. He at least seemed a little relieved to have reached a decision on the Raven’s Banquet launch. Brad didn’t see the point in staying any later, so he pushed himself out of his chair and made his way back to his own office. David came in a few minutes later, but didn’t stay very long. He didn’t pay much mind to Brad at his desk, and immediately moved to pack his own things. 

“Hey, D-Man.” Brad said gently. “Everything okay?”  
“Yeah, do- do you need something?” David stammered, hiding his face by not turning towards Brad.  
“Are you excited to launch on Monday morning?”  
David nodded silently. He kept his focus on his laptop bag, now fiddling with the straps more than anything else.  
“You seem distracted.” Brad pointed out.  
David’s face was pink. “I’m.. I’ll be okay.”  
Brad opened his mouth again, but David briskly walked towards the door. 

“I'll see you on Monday.” David called, smiling at Brad and leaving. Brad wasn’t sure he had ever seen David blush as hard as he just had been. Brad didn’t even have time to answer before David was gone. 

Brad wasn’t letting himself get too worried, knowing that David’s stress got the best of him a lot of the time. It was still out of character for him to be so reserved. Not only that, he seemed genuinely flustered. Brad didn’t know what could be going on. He spoke quietly to himself in the empty office. 

“Yeah, see you Monday.” 


	2. The Casino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> s1e2- The Casino
> 
> Brad leaves work for an entire day without warning, sending David into a spiral.

**_“He’s a toddler throwing a tantrum. Just ignore it, it’ll blow over.”_ **  
**_“Poppy, we cannot afford to piss Brad off.”_ **

David was more nervous than he wanted to let on. Brad was nowhere to be found, all of his belongings had been taken too. Poppy was right, that Brad had only left to prove a point, but David didn’t know when, or _if,_ he was coming back. He had to assure Poppy that he would be cool in order for her to get off his back. David turned over his shoulder to look at the space where Brad’s desk should have been. The only thing left was a small lamp on the floor. Brad had kept the divider up, which David wasn’t even that thrilled about. He didn’t like having the divider in between their desks. It felt like it was guarding them from being as social. David always really wanted to talk to Brad, even though Brad was usually very stoic and cold. David couldn’t believe that _Brad_ , of all people, was who David was in love with. Well, maybe love wasn’t the right word, though David couldn’t deny he was definitely attracted to Brad. It was more a feeling of “I would do anything for this person and my heart almost jumps out of my chest whenever I get to see them.”

Okay, maybe it _was_ love. 

Regardless, things were complicated, and David doubted that his co-worker would ever feel the same. He only figured out his feelings a week prior, but he was in too deep now. David shook his head. Right now he had to figure out where Brad was. He was trying to ignore Poppy’s voice in the back of his mind telling him to calm down. He was calm, he was cool; he just was terrified of being left alone again. 

_Shit,_ David thought. _That doesn’t make me seem very calm._

He pulled out his phone and sent Brad a quick text. 

_Hey- I don't know where you are  
right now, but can you call me when  
you get the chance?_

He got a thumbs up emoji in response and David furrowed his eyebrows as he read it. Not only was that not really answering his question, but Brad rarely ever used emojis. David walked over to his own desk and grabbed his bag, taking one last look at the empty space before walking towards the exit. Brad never called that night. David wanted to keep checking in, but figured he would just talk to him at work the next day. 

David rode the elevator up in the morning and was not prepared for the scene he would walk into. The 5th floor was crowded, workers running around and very clearly on edge. David’s smile dropped quickly. 

“What is going on?” He asked.  
“Brad’s tantrum got a little worse.” Poppy replied.

She led the both of them to David’s office and pulled up the MQ store on the computer. The prices were turned off. Things had become a literal free-for-all. Now David was really panicking. He tried to breathe but all that came out was a stressed huffing, whimpering noise. Poppy sat him down on the couch and tried to keep him calm, but it wasn’t really working. They walked down to the coders room, Poppy’s plan was smart and her team could get it done quick. 

When they found that the room was empty, David began to spiral even more. Poppy probably only thought that he was freaking out over the prices, but it was so much more than that now. He was mainly nervous about where Brad had actually gone, and how long he would be gone for. The one person that David actually chose to spend time with at work had slipped from his grasp. Brad couldn’t just leave without telling anyone, could he? Surely he would have mentioned something. This was all just to prove he was essential. 

That was the only explanation to keep David grounded. 

—

Brad was sitting at home, an episode of _DuckTales_ playing on the TV. It was nice to have a day away from work, even if his phone was going off every few minutes. They were mainly unread texts and missed calls from David, who was clearly more affected by this than anyone else. Brad wondered about why that might be as his phone rang again. He felt a twinge of guilt as he hit decline on David’s call. Brad wasn’t even mad at David, he just wanted Poppy to see that the company couldn’t function without him.

At least, that’s what he planned on telling people. It wasn’t so much that he wanted to prove he was essential to _everyone else,_ he just wanted to prove it to _himself._ Brad was used to being overlooked at the office, and he was a lot more vulnerable than anyone ever saw. He was just simply hoping to feel wanted.  
Regardless of the reason he left work, he knew that if he answered David, that the message would go to Poppy too, and the whole point of him going silent would be useless. 

Brad ignored his phone when it rang again. He hated the idea that he was probably making David worried sick. David had enough problems going on with him, and the thought of Brad being the reason for one of those problems, it hurt. He didn’t like acknowledging how much he cared about David. If anyone found out he was actually capable of falling in love the way he had, his whole persona as the office asshole would crumble. But he didn’t know if he could keep his feelings for David a secret forever, so confessing his love to David would be all the more terrifying. He was barely even sure how he kept his mouth shut for 3 years. Brad checked his seemingly endless amount of texts from David and Poppy before getting himself off the couch. He turned off the TV and put on actual clothes instead of his pajamas. Brad didn’t know why he was doing this, but he got in his car and started driving to work. He got a text from Jo on the way there. 

_Ian says you can come back now.  
They agreed to unmask the Masked  
Man at the casino, and a lot of the  
office was freaked out._

Brad smiled at that as he read. His plan had worked, and he got everything he wanted. His phone buzzed again when Jo sent another message. It was only 2 words, but it was enough to make his heart skip a beat. 

_Especially David._

Brad found it comforting that David cared, but the constant calling throughout the day was probably enough proof. Brad blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed, even though nobody else was in the car with him. He told himself that the only reason he was going back to work was because Ian finally agreed to let the casino be part of the game. But deep down, Brad knew that the real reason was to go back for David. 

—

David stopped in his tracks when he saw Brad sitting in the conference room, laughing with Ian and C.W. In any other circumstances, David would have been mesmerized by Brad’s smile, but right now he was just relieved to see that things could maybe go back to normal. Poppy was yelling something about ice cream sandwiches before he cut her off. Both of their attentions were on Brad. They walked into the conference room and David fought back the urge to tackle Brad in a hug. 

“Brad. Brad? We need you.” David pleaded. 

_I need you._ David’s thoughts added.

He bit his tongue to keep himself from saying that. Poppy continued to yell before David made her apologize. 

“Look, Brad, please. Can you just turn the prices back on?” David asked. He felt slightly embarrassed practically begging Brad to do a simple task, he didn’t want to come off as too dependent. 

“Yeah, yeah, I already did that.” Brad said, very nonchalantly.  
“Ian agreed to unmask the Masked Man at the casino, so I got everything I wanted.” Brad gestured to himself, he was never not talking with his hands. 

David let out a sigh of exasperation. They talked for a little while longer about the plans for the casino going forward. David kept catching Brad staring at him, the corners of his mouth tilted in a slight smile and his eyes focused. David tried his hardest not to look flustered. There was a flash of adoration beneath Brad’s gaze and David immediately felt hot. Brad’s lips seemed to twitch again quickly, as if he noticed David’s reaction. 

Brad stayed back in the conference room as David walked to his office. It was nice to see Brad’s desk back as it once was. He was definitely curious as to how Brad actually got his desk out of the office without anybody noticing him, and what poor worker he likely bribed to help him. David almost wanted to laugh at the thought of Brad attempting to dismantle an entire desk by himself though. 

David took a seat in front of his computer and opened his email. He didn’t actually even have any work to work on, but he didn’t feel like going home yet.  
David spent the next half hour scrolling through the news and playing solitaire. It was getting dark out within the blink of an eye. David leaned back and stretched his arms, letting out a yawn in the process. He closed his eyes and focused on the music that was playing through his headphones. _Two Princes_ by The Spin Doctors was currently on, David drummed his fingers against his legs to the rhythm of the song. It had been stuck in his head for almost the whole day. 

He almost fell out of his chair when he felt a flick to the side of his head. David pulled his headphones off of his ears and turned his head to see Brad walking back to his own desk. He was smirking and David rolled his eyes.

“Was that necessary?” David questioned, rubbing the spot where Brad flicked him.  
“You didn’t hear me say your name, so yes.” Brad said smugly.  
David wheeled his chair over so that the divider in between their desks wasn’t directly in his line of sight. Brad sat cross-legged in his chair, and David didn’t see how that could be comfortable. 

David gave Brad a look up and down. “Did you need something, then? I was quite happy with just my music.”  
“Nah, I just felt like messing with you. Whenever you get startled you look ador-” Brad cut himself off and cleared his throat. “Ridiculous. You look ridiculous.” 

David arched an eyebrow and Brad looked down at his hands. 

“It’s getting late, so I’ll see you tomorrow, D-train.” Brad made his way to the door but stopped when David spoke up.  
“How do I know you won’t pull another stunt like today and leave again?”  
“Come on, Dave. Are you really still upset about that?”  
“Yes, Brad, I am. You can’t just disappear for a whole day just because you’re acting petty.” 

Brad took his hand off of the doorknob after closing it behind him.  
“It was meant to mess with Poppy,” Brad explained. He didn’t seem very thrilled to be having this conversation. “But hey, I’m back now.”  
“Then why didn’t you answer _my_ calls?” David demanded, his voice raising in pitch. That happened often when he got nervous.  
“I figured you were working with Poppy to try and bring me back! It would’ve defeated the whole purpose of leaving if I told you ahead of time.” The dark-haired man was also clearly starting to get agitated. 

David got up and stood in front of Brad, who had moved closer to his desk again.  
“So what!? You can’t toy with people’s emotions like that, Brad! How do you not understand that? Sure, you’re borderline sociopathic and an asshole a lot of the time, but I was worried sick about you! I guessed that it was all for show but did you really not stop to consider that someone might actually care about where you were? I didn’t wanna be left alone again!” 

David’s words all mashed together whenever he was upset, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if Brad wasn’t following what he was saying. David was glad that the walls were mostly noise-cancelling, and the rest of the office wasn’t concerned as to what was going on. Brad stared at David with wide eyes. 

“So let me get this straight,” Brad began cautiously. “You were simply scared of me leaving for good? David, you’re very smart, but that’s a dumb thing to be worried about. I’m sorry that I freaked you out so badly.”

David took a double-take. Brad apologizing? That was something rare. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled loudly. 

His brain didn’t have time to catch up to the actions of his body as he stepped forward again slightly. David grabbed Brad by the shoulders and held him in a tight hug. Brad was clearly taken aback by the sudden embrace, but before David could pull away, he felt Brad hug him back. Brad’s hands settled on David’s back and he hooked his chin over David’s shoulder. 

“It’s just good to have you back, buddy.” David admitted quietly.  
“I was only gone for one day, but I suppose it’s good to be back.” Brad replied. 

They broke away from each other’s arms and smiled. Brad grabbed his jacket from his desk and held it over his shoulder. 

“Goodnight, David.” Brad said, opening the door to a now almost-empty office. “I’ll see you in the morning.”  
“Promise?” David teased. Brad rolled his eyes but laughed rather sincerely as he did so.  
“I promise.” 

Brad tapped the side of the door frame with his hand before walking out. David watched him step into the elevator and grinned to himself. He could still imagine the warmth of Brad’s hands against his back. David was glad that he actually went for the hug, even if it wasn’t on his initial agenda. He thought it felt nice to have someone in such close proximity again. Hell, nobody had given him a hug that felt so honest since his wife divorced him. David was honestly lucky to have Brad in his life, and a significant part of him hoped that Brad felt the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *emails rob mcelhenney* make braddavid canon you coward


	3. Dinner Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> s1e3- Dinner Party
> 
> Brad and David form an Ethics Committee to help the MQ studio reach a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapters 3 and 4 are up now babeyyy
> 
> there was so much material to go off in this one because dinner party is literally just their episode *insert hallway scene*

**_“Will you please help me? Please? Oh! We can form an ethics committee. Make the decisions together.”_ **  
**_“Hm, okay. A committee.”_ **

Brad was being as stubborn as usual. He knew that David would go insane trying to figure out the Nazi problem, so Brad decided to mess with him a little bit more. He brought up the idea of having more diverse perspectives to help make decisions, which led David down a path of looping in a bunch of their co-workers. Committees were something he always wanted to resort to. Brad wasn’t necessarily _planning_ to join David with it, but nothing he ever did with David went to plan. Developing a crush on David wasn’t part of anyone’s plans either, especially not his own. But here he was, they’d been working together for 3 years and Brad still hadn’t acted on anything. 

Brad was never an avid fan of love, his last committed relationship was in college. But he vowed to never let people know that side of him, the side that wanted so desperately to have someone to be close with. His only technical relationships were random hookups with guys he met at the bar. Brad had never tried to hide the fact the he was gay, he had figured it out when he was a teenager. Most of the people he came out to never made a big deal out of it, so why should Brad? The thing was, Brad _knew_ he’d gotten attached to David, and he would just about do anything to spend more time with him.

That’s how he ended up here. Assembling an “Ethics Committee” to decide which groups they could kick from the game. 

Brad had always been good at keeping his emotions concealed. The only thing Brad was thinking right now was that he was happy to be working side by side with David. What everyone else saw is that he started the committee just to make David (and the rest of the group) stressed. 

He came to the conclusion that that was his own form of flirting. 

Brad liked to mess with people he liked a lot, even if the deeper meaning behind it was much more sincere. So when he teased David, or attempted to nudge him past what he thought were his limits; Brad just wanted David to know he cared. He was trying to better himself about it, he would sometimes actually be nice to people. David never thought Brad was being serious when he’d give the blonde a compliment, but it was the thought that counted. 

Ever since Brad’s “tantrum,” David always seemed more wary to let Brad out of his sight. Brad knew that David had a lot of trust issues when it came to people he cared about, but he was also a good ride-or-die friend when you needed him to be. Brad had never felt safer than when he did in David’s arms the other night. Neither of them spoke directly about it, but they would often brush shoulders when standing next to one another, or find more ways to sneak in being physical when in passing. Sometimes Brad would catch David staring at him, a smile plastered on his face. Brad tried to not let himself get too hopeful though, David was generally a smiley person. Brad did find himself staring back at David quite often though. He found it easy to get lost in the other man’s features. The dusting of freckles across his cheeks, the way his whole face would turn pink when he blushed, the mesmerizing color of his blue eyes. 

_You’re getting ahead of yourself._ Brad thought.  
He casted his eyes back to David, who was writing something on the whiteboard in the conference room. 

“Just sixty-three quick decisions and we’re outta here.” Brad chimed.  
David pointed at the whiteboard. “Sixty-two. Manspreaders on the board.”

Brad shot David double finger guns and let out a small laugh. A giggle, if you will. David gave him a sweet smile in return. 

—

As it turned out, it’s difficult to make sixty-two decisions _quickly._ David was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He looked out at his co-workers, probably all equally as tired. Rachel and Dana were both leaning back in their chairs, heads slumped lazily to the side. Jo seemed to be fighting the urge to drift off, and C.W. was fully asleep. There were a few takeout containers strewn about the table as well. David’s eyes scanned the room, and landed on Brad. Brad was… surprisingly energetic. He still seemed engaged in each movement that David made. David brushed it off as just the caffeine getting to him. Brad had downed 3 cups of coffee in the span of the work day and was currently in the middle of his fourth. David always preferred tea, but maybe Brad had the right idea. 

It was nearing midnight and the ethics committee was reaching their final decision. David studied the board and took a step back. 

“It’s Nazis. Fuck!” David exclaimed. “It’s literally the same thing we started the day with.”

He caught a glimpse of Brad smiling and nodding, as if this were amusing. David’s nerves were shot, and he was in disbelief that they practically wasted an entire day. He sighed and just accepted the fact that they would have to move on. He gave a quick speech to try and get everyone’s spirits up. 

It wasn’t exactly successful. 

“And I learned that when it comes to making decisions,” David said. “What’s the expression? There’s more than one way to skin a cat?”

David saw Brad turn in his chair, sitting up and pointing towards the white board.  
“I don’t wanna spin you out here David, but animal abusers, we forgot about them.”

He suggested putting it on their list, and David _really_ didn’t want to scrap all of their progress. Everyone in the room groaned at Brad’s suggestion. Brad seemed insistent to keep this going through, like he didn’t want it to end. 

Brad was getting defensive. “We do not want PETA coming after our asses-”  
“No! No, Brad!” David shouted. “I know what you’re doing, and it’s gonna stop now!”

Everyone’s attention turned to David at the sound of him raising his voice. David hated when he had to yell, but it was important to him that the decision to kick out the Nazis was final. He scolded Brad and told him that they were _not_ starting over, and they had found a solution to the Nazi problem.

Brad brought his hands up to his chest and stared at David with an incredulous look. Brad swiveled slowly in his chair, not breaking eye contact with David. He was holding back a smile, and David couldn’t begin to understand what was concealed beneath Brad’s expression. 

“Ethics Committee dismissed.” David announced, his voice strained and anxious. 

He walked out of the conference room, on his way to find Poppy and Ian and tell them the decision. It was a long winded way of getting there, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it, cooperating on something with Brad had been kind of fun. Maybe they could spend some time together like that more often.

—

Brad said goodnight to the people in the committee and retreated back to his own office. He was slightly surprised to see that David wasn’t in there when he arrived. Brad saw that his bag and other belongings were still there, so at least he hadn’t fully left. 

Brad was still in disbelief of how David managed to take control of the situation. He never had gotten yelled at by David before, but there was something very captivating about it. He still didn’t like to see David so frazzled and upset, but them working side by side made up for it. Even if Brad zoned out for half of the meeting, getting caught up in what David was doing, he actually enjoyed the whole experience. Brad had started out the idea of the committee just as a simple tease, but he was immediately looped into the plot of it all. 

Everyone seemed to be relieved that they could go home, but Brad hung back in the office for a little while longer. He mindlessly scrolled through his phone, just finding a way to pass the time. 

It was nearing 1:00 AM when David came back into their office. Brad had moved to the couch in the corner and was messing with a fidget spinner as David took a seat next to him. He was leaning forward, his elbows propped up on his knees, and had his head in his hands. His leg bounced up and down against the floor and he sighed. 

“I can’t believe we wasted the whole day trying to reach a decision. We had the right idea all along anyways.” David said, clearly exhausted. 

Brad smiled and exhaled through his nose. “Hey, at least we got the Nazi problem solved.”  
“I just talked to Ian and Poppy and they already dealt with it, so like I said, it was a waste.”  
“You gotta admit, D-Train, it was still kind of fun though.” 

David looked up at Brad and quirked an eyebrow. 

“Come on, spending time together wasn’t that bad, even if our decision was sort of meaningless in the end.” Brad continued. 

David smiled. “I guess so. I just wish that I could have helped more.”  
Brad sat forward and nudged David with his elbow. “What? You helped out so much.”  
David gave him a doubtful look. 

“Dave, you have to give yourself more credit than that. It was your idea to form a committee in the first place.” Brad tried to make himself sound encouraging but it probably came out as sarcastic. 

David shrugged. “You’re right. It might not have been the most efficient, but I kind of took control of everything, I suppose.”  
“That’s the spirit!” Brad beamed, giving David a playful pummel on the arm, which got a laugh out of him. 

Brad looked around the room and lowered his voice slightly.  
“Don’t tell anyone I’m being nice to you, but I honestly really admire how hardworking you are.”  
David lightened up more at that. He smiled again. “You may be an asshole, Brad, but you can give surprisingly genuine compliments. Thank you.”  
Brad tried to hide how happy he was to be hearing those words. “You’re welcome, D-Man.”  
David rolled his eyes and laughed again, Brad thought of that as a success. 

Brad felt his face get warmer and his heart pick up pace when he noticed how close David was to him. They were right next to each other, their knees touching lightly. Brad leaned back into the corner of the couch and closed his eyes. It was actually getting late, and all the energy had left Brad’s body at that point. He yawned and David looked at him. 

“How are you tired? I saw you drink like, a billion cups of coffee.” David asked.  
“Oh, it was decaf.” Brad revealed. “I only managed to stay awake for as long as I did because I didn’t want to leave you alone with the rest of the group. I know it’s already hard enough for you to wrangle everyone.”

David seemed surprised, and he only gave a flustered nod in response. 

Brad closed his eyes again and sat in silence for a few minutes. Brad was slowly starting to drift off when he felt a shift of weight on the couch. He figured that David was about to leave, but what he didn’t expect was the feeling of a body moving closer to his. 

David placed his head on Brad’s shoulder and let out a yawn. He must have assumed that Brad had already fallen asleep, because he seemed to be careful as he laid himself down. Brad adjusted himself to a different angle, allowing David to lean right in between his body and the back of the couch. Brad was surprised that David didn’t tense or anything at his sudden shift. The only thing David did was rest his head in the crook of Brad’s neck. Brad draped his left arm around David’s shoulders and placed his hand on the side of David’s arm. David seemed to curl up slightly and embrace the position they were now in. Brad was hoping David couldn’t pick up on how fast his heart was beating. 

There was something so _intimate_ about how they were laying, even though Brad knew David likely didn’t reciprocate any of the romantic feelings. David’s breathing eventually steadied and Brad could no longer move away, not that he was complaining. He sat in the peace and quiet of the room, and was almost fully asleep when he heard the sound of the office door opening. 

“It’s late, you should-” Ian began to say, before stopping in his tracks. 

Brad’s head snapped in the direction of the door, staring at Ian. He brought a finger from his free hand up to his lips, gesturing towards David, who had only moved his head further across Brad’s chest. Ian gave Brad a wide-eyed look and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. 

Ian pointed at the two of them, asking a question that didn’t need to be said out loud to be understood. Brad shook his head and shifted in the seat, careful not to wake David. 

“Not a word.” Brad mouthed to Ian. 

Ian nodded and quietly backed out of the room, a confused look still plastered on his face. Once Ian was gone, Brad let out a breath. David stirred slightly and mumbled something incoherent into Brad’s shoulder. He considered waking him up, suggesting that they both go home and get some actual rest. 

But he didn’t. 

He only hugged David closer to him. Brad put his cheek against the top of David’s head and relaxed, soon falling asleep as well. 

They both woke up the next morning in each other’s arms, and brushed it off as if nothing had happened. Ian had been the only other person to know they had spent the night, as far as he was aware. Brad had silently hoped that nobody else had seen them asleep together, as it would ruin a good-sized chunk of his reputation. Brad wasn’t ready for people to see him being affectionate, he was barely even ready to _actually be_ that affectionate. He had even gone into Ian’s office when work started and made Ian promise to never tell anyone about what he saw. That was one of the only times Ian ever listened to him. 

Brad was fairly certain that the staff noticed him and David in the same clothes as the day before, but nobody actually said anything. The work day continued on as normal, even though Brad was still paranoid around everyone. He had even taken off his sweater and just stayed in his button down for a majority of the day. 

The only things that changed were Brad and David. 

They talked more often through that point on, and stood close to one another when they got the opportunity. David seemed to have found a way to touch Brad as much as he could, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. Nobody else seemed to pay any mind to it, but it felt like a big deal to Brad. He had come to pick up on how often David actually stared at him during work, and it was a lot more than he had first thought. Brad would return the same longing glances, although he was a lot more quick to look away if they ever made eye contact. Everything about their relationship just seemed closer. 

Brad was thinking that he could get used to this.


	4. The Convention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> s1e4- The Convention
> 
> David’s day hadn’t gone very well, and Brad’s wasn’t the best either. They talk a few things through late at work one night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the “look” i mention at the beginning this chapter happens right as poppy ian dana and brad all get back from the convention and it practically killed me
> 
> any/all feedback is appreciated

**_“Oh, that was today?”_ **  
**_“Nice. I guess your good instincts don’t include checking a calendar.”_ **

David tried not to be caught off-guard by the look Brad had just given him. It didn’t seem like his usual annoyed glare, but David couldn’t quite place what it was that Brad was thinking. He usually would turn away if they ever locked eyes. But this time, he continued to stare even as he turned his head to talk to Poppy. 

Then the moment was over, and David was left in a state of confusion. There was something almost _impatient_ in Brad’s eyes, and David was at a loss for words. Maybe Brad knew that David also had forgotten about the tour, somehow, and the comment to Poppy could’ve been to him as well. Surely that was it. David wasn’t trying to overthink it. His day had been exhausting enough, and he didn’t need to have Brad’s dark, yet breathtaking eyes invading his head. 

The tour that David gave Girls Can Code was nothing shy of a disaster. Jo was misbehaving as usual, except this time it was somehow more embarrassing. They skimmed past a majority of the office, there being little to no women in each room. 

David reminded himself to talk to Ian about hiring more people. The convention was probably stressful enough on him, so David opted to tell him later. 

Michelle’s snarky comments definitely did not inspire the young girls, which was just another thing to add to the list of things that went wrong. Sue was harmless, but her job was not, so he struck out again. David was surprised that they had spent a majority of the day just wandering the halls of MQ and not a single person gave a good impression. 

That was until Ian, Brad, Poppy, and Dana came back in. Seeing Dana give such a good speech to those kids made David feel hopeful. He suddenly had more faith in the company. Maybe they could manage to keep things running smoothly. 

David returned to his office and let his mind wander. He couldn’t stop replaying all of the unfortunately embarrassing moments from the tour. David had never been very good with children, which was another reason that led to his divorce. His wife wanted kids, he wasn’t ready, even after being married for so long. He loved kids, but taking care of them and being partially responsible for how they turn out always felt too scary. He was just nervous he would fuck it up, like his own parents did. 

David’s thoughts shifted to Brad, and the scene that played out before. As David had been walking from the elevator area, he turned around to look at Brad. He seemed awestruck and excited; a look that was rarely on his face, unless you ask him to talk about _DuckTales._

David thought that Brad looked especially good that day. His hair was curlier than usual and the dark purple sweater brought out his facial features. David only heard bits of what him and Ian were saying, but caught “Dana” and “good news.” 

At least Brad had been having a good day. That was enough to make David happy. He smiled to himself and jumped when he heard a voice by the door. 

“What are you doing?” Brad asked.  
“Uh, working?” David responded. He didn’t know what else he could have said.  
“I’ve been standing here for the past few minutes and you were just staring off into space.”  
David blushed and nervously picked at the edge of his sleeves.  
“I was just thinking. What do you care anyways?”  
Brad smiled and jokingly threw up his hands in defense. He sat down at his desk, closing the office door behind him, and focused on his computer. David couldn’t see him very well anymore, the divider was obstructing his view. 

He heard Brad let out a sigh after a few minutes and then saw him come over to settle onto the couch. Brad picked up one of the fidget toys on the table in front of him and moved it around in his fingers. Each move they made seemed methodical. Brad talked with his hands a lot, and was often unsure what to do when he didn’t have anything in them. David picked up on how often Brad would fiddle with random objects he had in his grasp, or simply with his own fingers. It was usually pens, or containers of pencil lead that he held. David bought a small pack of fidget toys before work one day, hoping that Brad would appreciate them. David had been meaning to buy some for himself anyways, so a way that he could help Brad too was just an added bonus. Brad avoided using them for a few days, but David often found Brad sitting either at his desk or on the couch, with a toy in his hand. Brad usually used the Molecule Puzzle Cube whenever he was bored. 

That’s exactly what he was doing as they sat together. David studied Brad’s hands more. His fingers were long and bony, and David knew that his hands were usually warm. The few times when they had touched hands had sent a spark through David. He wondered what Brad’s hands would feel like to hold, or what his hands would feel like against David’s face, or in his hair, or on his waist- 

Brad’s hands stopped moving and he cleared his throat. David snapped his head up and felt heat spread across his face. Brad was eyeing him with a quizzical look. 

“What were you staring at, D-man?” Brad asked, looking around him to try and find anything.  
“Nothing. Just zoning out again, I guess.”  
That wasn’t technically a lie, but David wanted to change the subject.  
“So how was your day? At the convention and stuff.”  
Brad shrugged. “Wasn’t bad. How was the tour?”  
“Embarrassing.” David replied simply.  
Brad nodded with a smile and focused on a spot on the floor. He seemed to be lost in thought.

—

Brad was thinking about David. And the convention. And David again. His mind could never seem to pick one struggle to deal with. Brad was relieved that they had finally found another streamer, but he had been bored out of his mind during the rest of the day. 

Poppy and Ian were bickering throughout all of StreamerCon, which was the main thing Brad was trying to avoid. They both gave him a headache, but when they weren’t arguing, he actually enjoyed their company. 

The convention was long and draining, and Brad felt kind of lonely. Poppy and Ian had both wandered off somewhere, presumably to find candidates for a new MQ streamer. Brad didn’t want to admit it, but he was lost. Considering the fact that the whole company revolved around interacting with people, Brad _hated_ being in big crowds. Sure, Brad hated a lot of things, but crowds just made him uneasy. 

He weaved his way through the eclectic mix of children and very nerdy-looking adults, until he found a spot where he could rest. His feet hurt and the noises of various video games and yelling were starting to make his head spin. Brad had leaned against the wall in a quieter area of the main room. He probably stuck out like a sore thumb, being one of the very few people there who wasn’t dressed in a hoodie or a graphic tee. He looked around the room and scanned the different faces that he saw. They all looked like people who would play video games, which was a given. Brad wondered if anyone could tell he wasn’t even really invested in the actual gaming scene. Money was his venue, which could have easily been guessed even just by the clothes he wore. 

Brad all of a sudden had started to feel noticeably much more tense and jittery. His foot tapped against the floor underneath him and he kept lacing his fingers together, before unlacing them and repeating the process. He would have been _really_ grateful for one of the fidget toys that David got for their office at that moment. Brad reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He tried to play it cool and seem like he was just an uninterested type, but he really needed a distraction. He looked around the room and was hoping to see any familiar faces, but he was met with nothing. The room was large and filled to the brim with people. Brad didn’t know how he’d find his way around. 

Brad pulled up his contacts to call Poppy and ask where she was, but his thumb hovered over David’s number. Brad rarely ever freaked out over anything at work, but any time that he was agitated, David was good at calming him down. If Brad was frustrated or anxious, David knew that he liked to be distracted and talked to, even if he wasn’t fully present for the conversation. David knew that if Brad was bored, he would just sit on the couch and fidget with a toy, needing time to himself. David knew Brad better than Brad had ever thought anyone could. 

What would be the harm in calling?

Brad didn’t have any specific pros or cons to it, but his mind talked him out of it anyways. He huffed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Brad looked around the room one more time, before stalking off to go find Ian or Poppy.

 _Things would have been better if David were here._ Brad thought.

Speaking of David, his hand was currently moving in front of Brad’s face. Brad looked around and saw he was still sitting on the couch in their office.  
“You okay, buddy?” David asked, drawing out the end of the sentence.  
Brad waved his hand. “Yeah, just thinking about the convention again.”  
“Ah,” David said with a nod. He was standing now, leaning against the side of his desk. “Was everything alright there? You’ve seemed kind of distracted since you got back.”

 _Stupid David, making me feel so many stupid feelings._ Brad thought, although he didn’t really mean the “stupid” part. _Why does he have to care about me so much?_

“I’m tired. Who knew being involved in big company decisions would make me so stressed?” Brad joked, and David smiled at him. 

_That fucking adorable smile._

Brad stopped caring about all the positive adjectives that his brain threw at him when he thought about David. It happened so often now that he had no other option but to accept it. Brad got up from the couch and moved over to where David was. He leaned back against the desk as well, shoulder to shoulder with David. 

“I wish that I was better with kids,” David said abruptly. “The tour today was an absolute disaster and I feel like it was partially my fault. I didn’t know how to talk to those girls and actually get any of our employees to inspire them.” He put his head in his hands and groaned.  
“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Dave.”

David got up and started pacing slowly. “But is it really? When I led the girls around and there were no women for them to meet, I was mentally kicking myself. How do we not have more women here? I mean, I embarrassed myself and it dawned on me that it could’ve gone so much better if I didn’t just get in my own way all the time. I think it’s just because I’m afraid. I’m afraid that I’ll be a bad influence on any kids that I’m in charge of because I didn’t know what it was like to take care of kids growing up. My parents never did, and I didn’t have any siblings to look after. I feel like I was just trying to make a good impression and my own thoughts didn’t let me get past all of my fears.” David kept rambling, seeming shocked that all of that just came out of his mouth. 

“You realized all of that from a single tour?” Brad joked, and David gave him a pointed look. 

Brad walked in front of David and placed his hands on David’s shoulders. For once, David didn’t flinch.  
“David, listen to me. The tour going wrong was _not_ your fault. I agree that we need to hire more women, someone should really tell Ian. I know that you’re anxious, but just take a breath, and you’ll be alright. Your fears aren’t something to fret over this much, okay?” 

David nodded, letting out a long breath he had obviously been holding. “Thanks, Brad. It’s nice to know you care.”  
Brad smiled again, so did David. 

“I assume you don’t have a lot of practice around kids either,” David said. “Or you just don’t like them.”  
Brad scratched at his chin. “Actually, I’m surprisingly good with them. My sister has two kids. They’re twins.”  
“Huh, I didn’t know you were an uncle, let alone that you even had a sister.”  
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, D-Man.”  
David looked at him funny, but then laughed to himself and looked down again.

“Y’know I almost called you today. At the convention.” Brad mentioned. He didn’t know why he thought to tell David this, but it was too late to not say anything now.  
David stared at Brad, still standing in front of him, but closer to the wall now. “What for?”  
“I got lost,” Brad admitted quietly. “I get freaked out in crowded spaces sometimes and I wanted to hear something familiar. I talked myself out of it because I figured you were busy.”  
“Today I was, but I still would have liked hearing from you. I always do” 

Brad smiled and looked down at the floor. He shrugged his shoulders and took another glance at David. They gave each other an understanding look. 

“You can call me whenever you want,” David said, his voice sincere. “Even if you don’t have a reason to.”  
In that moment, Brad was consumed by the overwhelming urge to kiss David. 

So that’s exactly what he did.

—

David could barely process what had just happened. All he knew is that his back was pressed against the wall, a pair of hands were gripping his fleece up by his chest, and Brad’s lips were on his. That’s right. Brad Bakshi was kissing him, and David was kissing back. Brad’s fists were balled up into David’s shirt, pinning him to the wall but loose enough that he could pull away if he wanted to. 

David definitely didn’t want to. 

Usually, David _hated_ it when people grabbed him. He liked soft touches, like hand holding or hugs, not the kind that were harsh and fast. He was easily scared by people being forceful, and he had his parents to thank for that. The feeling of Brad pressing him into the wall didn’t make him pull away though. David didn’t mind Brad’s pushiness. Brad was one of the few people who David trusted enough to never hurt him.

David didn’t know where to put his hands but he eventually settled on resting them on Brad’s waist. The kiss was rough and the unexpectedness of it made his heart flutter. David shivered and Brad tightened his grip on David’s shirt. Brad’s lips were surprisingly soft, and they tasted of coffee and chapstick. When Brad finally pulled away, David looked at him breathlessly. 

“Holy shit.” They said in unison, making them both laugh softly. 

The two men stared at each other for another moment in awe, not really knowing what to say. Brad didn’t have his hands on David’s chest anymore, but quickly backed away when he realized he still had David up against the wall. He glanced at David’s arms, and then his own hands. His eyes almost seemed apologetic. Brad rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his feet. David had never seen him look so nervous before. 

David broke the silence first. “So..”  
“I don’t know what came over me.” Brad stated.  
“I’m not complaining,” David said while his face grew increasingly pink. “You’re a good kisser.”  
Brad seemed to only get more embarrassed by that comment. He mumbled a “thanks.”  
“I should probably be heading home soon.” Brad announced. “Thanks for always listening or whatever, and for not freaking out when I kissed you.”  
“Are we gonna talk about-” David started to say, but Brad cut him off.  
“It’s getting late.” 

David looked at his watch, it wasn’t even 8:00, but Brad eyed him when he was about to protest. “You use that as an excuse for everything.” David settled on saying.  
“Please, David.” 

David stuck his hands in his pockets. Brad grabbed his coat from his chair and slung it over his shoulders. He took a glance at the (now open) door to their office as if he were checking to see if anyone was there. Brad gave David one more quick kiss, this time just pulling him in with a finger under his chin. David barely had any time to kiss back before Brad was leaving the room. Now David _really_ needed to clear up some things with Brad.  
“Can we talk tomorrow though?” David called, before Brad was fully gone. Brad hesitated and bit his lip nervously.  
“Okay.” Brad sighed.  
“Night, Brad.”  
Brad nodded in acknowledgement and left without another word. 

David exhaled and put his hands on his hips. He sat down at his desk and leaned backwards, cherishing the faint taste of coffee that was left over from Brad’s lips. David wasn’t sure how Brad went from kissing him more passionately than he had ever been kissed, to leaving in a huff. Brad seemed put off by his own actions, and he acted almost frustrated afterwards. That made David worried. He wanted to talk to Brad about everything that just happened, and his own feelings, and what they would do from that moment on. But Brad had looked distressed and hesitant to do the same. David drummed his fingers against the desk and glanced at Brad’s desk again. He _wanted_ them to go forward with whatever relationship might come out of it. But did Brad? 

On any other night, David probably would have worked overtime. Staying late only meant that he didn’t have to spend as much time alone in his house. The work day had officially ended at 7:30, which was right before Brad left. It was a few minutes past 8 now, and David figured it was better to just go home and get rest. He touched his hand to the top of the divider that separated the two desks and let out a breath. He slipped on his jacket and turned the light off on his way out. 

David sat with the radio playing on low as he drove, just a little something to fill the silence he never liked getting accustomed to. Considering the weird terms that Brad and David had just ended their night on, David was still happy. He had suspected that Brad liked guys, but David never thought that Brad would have liked him, specifically. The radio dimmed to nothing again as it changed songs. _Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy_ by Queen came on and David turned it up. He smiled and hummed along, thinking of Brad the whole way home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woot woot they finally kissed!
> 
> sorry that this one ends on a little bit of a cliffhanger, and i’m also sorry that it might take a little while for the next few chapters to be up. i wrote a lot of this out of chronological order, so unfortunately chapter 5 hasn’t been written yet, and i still gotta finish chapter 6
> 
> i have a smaller fic about david currently in my drafts, so i might post it in between updates for this one
> 
> thank you for reading!


	5. A Dark Quiet Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> s1e5- A Dark Quiet Death
> 
> The story of David’s marriage, from the beginning to its messy end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! i’m back from my small hiatus, because i have had terrible writer’s block, but like, only for this fic
> 
> the title of the chapter is only because of the episode name, it has nothing to do with doc and bean
> 
> considering DQD was a flashback episode, i wanted to do something about david’s past, specifically his divorce 
> 
> hope u enjoy <33

**_1999_ **

David met Anna in his junior year of college. He was 21, majoring in business, like his mother encouraged him to do. He lived away from home, so he could’ve always done something different, but still figured business would be a good path for him to stick to. It was the first day of his marketing class, and he was sitting towards the back, observing the other people milling about the room. 

“Is this seat taken?” A woman’s voice spoke, turning David’s head away from the front of the room.  
He looked up to see a pretty girl who didn’t look much younger than him, dark hair falling around her shoulders.  
“Oh, uh, not as far as I know.” David smiled.  
“Cool, thanks.” She returned, sitting down in the empty seat next to him.

David felt unexplainably nervous, wanting so badly to strike up a conversation, but his mind was coming up empty. He was so busy thinking that he almost missed her talking to him. 

She stuck out her hand towards him. “I’m Anna, by the way.”  
“I’m David,” he greeted, shaking her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”  
“What are you majoring in?”  
“Business, you?”  
“English. I want to be a journalist. Or a publicist, one of the two.”  
“Sounds fun.”  
Anna nodded. Her nose scrunched up when she smiled, and David couldn’t help but smile too.

They spent the next few weeks together, getting to learn about each other. David knew that Anna’s favorite color was green, she was Korean, but had lived in California her whole life, and she liked to take creative writing classes in her spare time. David _really_ liked her, and she was one of the closest friends he had had in a long time. 

After class one afternoon, David worked up the nerve to ask her out. He saw her across campus, exiting the science building.

“Anna!” David called, and she turned towards him, smiling.  
“Hi, David.” She returned, waiting for him as he quickly approached. “What’s up?”  
“Um, I was wondering if…” David trailed off, swallowing. “If you wanted to maybe, go out sometime? Like, on a date?”  
Anna gave her signature smile. “I would love to. I only have one more class today, do you want to go grab something to eat afterwards?”  
“Yeah, yeah that sounds great.”  
“I’ll meet you in the parking lot in a hour, okay?”  
“Okay.”  
“See you then, Davey.” Anna said, leaning up and kissing David on the cheek. The nickname coupled with the kiss made David’s entire face turn pink.  
David shyly waved. “See you.”

He watched while she walked away, her ponytail bouncing as she left. David turned around and excitedly pumped his fist in the air, before heading back to his dorm. 

**_2004_ **

David and Anna had been together for 5 years. They had graduated college in the same class, making time for plenty of dates in between their busy schedules. Anna had moved in just a few months before, and David wasn’t sure he could’ve been happier. He got to wake up every morning with someone he loved, and go to bed with her by his side. 

Anna was perfect for David; loving, funny, genuine, and overall unafraid to be herself. David usually didn’t like the cliché, but he could easily say he was head over heels for her.

A quiet evening in March of 2004, David took Anna for a night out, a proper date being long overdue. They went to Anna’s favorite restaurant, going on a walk in a nearby park afterwards. Anna kept her arm linked through David’s, and his free hand was stuffed in his pocket, running his fingers over a small ring box. 

The sun was setting on the horizon when David came to a stop. Illuminated by a streetlight, David looked happily over at Anna.

“What are you staring at?” Anna asked, eyeing David with a small laugh.  
“You, because I love you, and I don’t think I could be happier with anyone else.”  
“Where is this going?”  
“Anna, I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” David said, getting down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”  
Anna smiled and gasped, blinking back tears of joy. “Yes, yes yes yes!”

Anna held out her hand, and David slipped the ring on her finger. She admired it for a moment, before pulling David into a kiss. David laughed when they broke away, lifting Anna and spinning her around. She never stopped smiling, a sight David never got sick of. 

The wedding itself was small, a summer ceremony just 5 months after the proposal itself. Anna’s family all attended, as did David’s parents. It wasn’t the most joyous reunion for them, but even the tension between his mom and dad couldn’t bring him down. 

David only was focused on Anna, who he was now able to call his _wife._ David felt so much excitement at just the concept of being married to someone so amazing, going home and spending time with his wife. Whenever he and Anna locked eyes, she would smile, and David truly believed that nothing could go wrong.

**_2013_ **

David hadn’t talked to Ian since they graduated college. They were roommates in their senior year, and they spent most of their time playing video games. They both were huge fans of Street Fighter, and although Ian always made fun of David for his love of Mrs. Pac-Man, he was pretty damn good at arcade games too. 

Ian always had the biggest passion for video games, and he never passed down an opportunity to act as a leader. So when David got a Facebook message from Ian, describing the idea for his new game company, David wasn’t entirely surprised. What _did_ catch him off guard was when Ian offered him a job. 

“I need someone to help manage this, and my mind immediately went to you.” Ian explained over the phone.  
“Immediately?” David asked.  
Ian paused. “Okay, maybe not _immediately,_ but I do miss you, man. I can really see this going somewhere.”

David agreed. Mythic Quest, whatever it would fully entail, sounded pretty promising. They already had funding from a studio in Montreal, so David knew there was potential. He really didn’t have to think about it much to make a decision. 

“When can we meet up?”

Anna came home a few hours later, and David greeted her with a kiss and some exciting news. 

“Do you remember Ian Grimm?” David asked as Anna set her bag down on the counter.  
“Your college roommate, Ian?” Anna asked. “The one who tried bringing a literal sword on campus to hang in your dorm?”  
“That’s the one.”  
“What about him?”  
“Well, he made a video game, and he offered me a job at his company!”  
“Honey, that’s great!” Anna cheered, rushing towards David to hug him.  
“I’m not entirely sure what my work schedule will be, so that’s gonna have to be something we’ll probably have to adjust to.”  
“Oh, that’s nothing,” Anna waved her hand dismissively. “We can make it through anything.”

David smiled, putting hand to Anna’s cheek and kissing her softly. “I love you.”  
“I love you more.”

**_2017_ **

David came home after a long day at work, feeling purely exhausted. Working at MQ was certainly draining, and although he was constantly surrounded by his co-workers, sitting in his office by himself got lonely.

That was, until today, when he met Brad. Brad seemed a little shy, but David assumed that was just from it being his first day. David knew they were hiring someone to handle monetization, and he expected to be sharing an office with some stuck-up business man. Brad was quite the opposite. A lanky man in an expensive sweater and slacks wasn’t what most would think of when they heard “Head of Monetization.”

But Brad was nice, and David was glad to have someone new to spend time with. 

Anna didn’t say much when David entered the house, other than a simple hello and asking how his day was. He kissed her on the cheek when he walked into the kitchen, stealing a piece of pasta out of the dish she was preparing. She barely acknowledged it. 

Even when they sat down to eat, Anna didn’t seem very engaged throughout their whole conversation, but David couldn’t quite place what was wrong. 

After a few more minutes of deafening silence, Anna spoke up.  
“So what’s the deal with Brad?” She asked.  
“What?”  
“What’s Brad like?”  
“Oh,” David responded, a little confused by the question. “He’s nice. I mean, you met him briefly, but we talked a few other times today.”  
Anna nodded.  
“Why do you ask?”  
“Nothing, I just noticed he kept staring at you while I was there earlier.”  
David shrugged. “Hm. I guess I didn’t pay much mind to it.” 

Anna didn’t say anything else for the rest of dinner. 

**_2019_ **

David could count on his fingers how many official dates he and Anna had been on in the past year. He used to take her out for a night every week or two, just as a small getaway for the both of them. Now, they were lucky if they could have one once a month. 

The longer David worked at MQ, the busier he got. Anna’s job as a journalist certainly didn’t give her an open schedule either. David tried to keep things going well, but he felt like all the good moments were slipping through his fingers. 

The date nights became less frequent, as did the sex, the meaningful conversations, the lasting affection. David knew that most marriages went through rough patches, and he and Anna had had their fair share of them, but he never lost hope. She always said they could make it through anything, and David wanted to keep believing it. 

One night in October, David got home early from work. Anna wasn’t back yet, but she’d be coming in any minute. It was nearing 9:00, which meant she was at least on her way home. David sat at the dining room table, opening his laptop. He repeatedly checked his email inbox, just needing something to occupy himself with. 

There was a click from by the door, followed by the sound of someone entering. Anna appeared in the doorway just seconds later, kicking off her shoes by the door. 

“Hey honey, how was work today?” David asked, shutting his computer.  
“It was fine.” Anna answered blankly.  
“I was thinking we could maybe go out somewhere tonight. It’s been a while since we’ve been on a real date.”  
“Actually, David, I wanted to talk.”  
David sat up straight. “Is everything okay?”

Anna silently walked over to the table, and David noticed a stack of papers in her hand. David’s smile faded at Anna’s somber expression. She sat down and slid the papers across towards David. 

“I want a divorce.”  
“B-but why?” David mumbled, his mind unable to form any other words.  
“I think we both know why.”  
“Anna, please. We… we can figure something out, c- can’t we?”  
Anna sighed. “I just think this would be better for both of us. I’m not trying to hurt you, David.”  
David didn’t answer.  
“We aren’t the same as we used to be.”

David’s eyes scanned the papers in front of him, Anna’s parts had already been signed, so he didn’t have much of a choice. He couldn’t think clearly, he couldn’t speak, he wished this was all just a nightmare. 

But then Anna stood, leaving her ring sitting on the table, and David knew it was real. By the time he looked up, Anna was gone. He heard their bedroom door close, which meant David was stuck by himself. He wanted to talk things through with Anna, to hold onto the small shred of hope he had left. 

David didn’t want to say he wasn’t surprised that this was coming, but he let his optimism get ahead of him. He had just been trying to ignore the signs he had picked up on in the previous months. 

David ran his hands through his hair, propping his elbows against the table. A tear dropped onto the wood surface, and he quickly wiped at his eyes. David looked at his hands, touching the golden band around his ring finger. He reluctantly took it off, placing it on the table right next to Anna’s. The sight of it almost made him break down sobbing. 

After sitting silently for what felt like hours, David hauled himself to the living room, laying down on the couch. It wasn’t the first night he had slept in the living room, he just hadn’t expected these to be the circumstances. 

David didn’t even bother changing out of his clothes, or fixing himself dinner, he just closed his eyes and tried to block out everything going wrong around him. 

When he couldn’t seem to fall asleep, David grabbed his phone from the coffee table. He needed a distraction, and he was willing to try just about anything. David paused on Brad’s contact, debating whether or not to call him for help. 

David hit the call button before he could stop himself, bringing the phone to his ear. It rang once, twice, and on the third ring, there was an answer.  
“Hello?” Brad’s voice asked.  
David was going to speak, but he didn’t even know what to say. 

_‘Hey, my wife is leaving me and I panicked and called you because I’m really starting to spiral’_ isn’t really an ideal conversation starter for your colleagues. 

“D-Man? You there?”  
David quickly hung up the phone, too scared to even try and start explaining anything. 

David huffed and tossed his phone onto the cushion next to him. He laid back down on his back, staring at the ceiling until his eyes began to water. He wasn’t even sure if he was crying, or if he had just gone too long without blinking. 

David’s eyelids began to feel heavier, and even though he hated sleeping alone, he eventually fell into a restless sleep. 

—

**_2019_ **

Brad walked into his office, and was surprised to be the only person in there. David’s desk was abandoned, which wasn’t totally abnormal, as he often got pulled away by Ian or Poppy the second he arrived. But this time, David’s bag and jacket weren’t anywhere to be found either. 

Brad was 20 minutes late to work anyways, so David not being there was almost unsettling. It might’ve not seemed like a big deal, but David was always on time. In the 2 and a half years Brad and David had been working together, Brad could count on one hand how many times David had been noticeably late. 

Almost another hour passed, and David still hadn’t come in. Brad was walking back from the kitchen after refilling his cup of coffee, and he suddenly remembered the phone call he had gotten from David the night before. At first, Brad figured it was just an ass-dial or something, but he couldn’t help but feel worried now. 

Brad sat down at his desk, and he debated calling David to check in on him, when he heard the office door open. Brad looked up to see David walk past him, going straight to his desk without a word. 

“Morning, David.” Brad said, hoping to catch David’s attention.  
“Huh?” David returned. “Oh, yeah, good morning.”  
“How come you’re late?”  
David looked at his hands, touched his ring finger, and quickly stuffed them in his pockets. “I just, overslept, is all.”  
Brad nodded, eyeing David warily as he leaned against his desk. 

If Brad was being honest, David didn’t look great. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair sticking up in various places, and the buttons of his flannel were crooked. Brad’s stomach was in knots, wanting desperately to help David but having no idea even how to. 

“Is everything, like, okay?” Brad asked.  
David looked up, about to say something when the door swung open. 

Ian and Poppy both barged in, arguing over God knows what. The cacophony of voices was beginning to give Brad a headache, and David didn’t look thrilled either. He rubbed his temples, trying to handle Ian and Poppy at the same time, and was eventually pulled out of the room to have to settle their petty dispute. 

Brad didn’t see David again until they were packing up that night. 

Brad adjusted his bag on shoulder, about to grab his coat from the back of his chair, when he looked over to David. He was on the couch in their office, fidgeting with his ring finger. Brad noticed how often David toyed with his wedding ring, so he didn’t pay too much mind to it. 

What Brad paid attention to was David’s facial expression. He looked sad, and lost, like he was just on the edge of breaking. His hands were shaking, and he tapped his foot against the floor faster than Brad had ever seen him do. 

Brad moved toward the exit, feeling guilty over leaving David by himself like this. 

“You should head home.” Brad suggested, leaning against the doorframe.  
David didn’t answer, but his eyes widened, and he tucked his shaky hands underneath his legs, not looking up from the floor. 

_Okay,_ Brad thought. _That was weird._

“What was that?” Brad asked, gesturing a finger towards David.  
“What was what?” David answered absently.  
“That face you just made.”  
“Nothing,” David smiled weakly. “I-I’m fine.”  
“D-Man, you’re a terrible liar.”  
“I said I’m fine.” 

Brad took another long look at David and sighed. If David didn’t wanna talk, Brad couldn’t force him to.  
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Dave.”  
“Brad, wait!” David called as Brad was halfway out the door. 

Brad turned on his heels and faced David, who ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the door nervously. Brad looked back at him with a concerned expression.

“Something… something happened that’s sort of been, eating me up. So, c-can I talk to you?”  
“Does it have to do with your phone call from last night?” Brad asked.  
“Yeah, sort of.”  
Brad closed the office door, quickly taking a seat next to David on the couch. “Okay, what’s up?”

David ran a hand over his face. “I’m not fine, and I _really_ don’t wanna go home yet.”  
“Why not?”  
“Anna and I…” David exhaled. “We’re getting a divorce.”  
Brad quietly gasped. “Oh.”  
“Yeah, oh.”

It was only then that Brad realized that David didn’t have his wedding ring on anymore. That’s why he was touching his finger so much. 

“She gave me the paperwork last night,” David explained. “I started to spiral, and that’s when I called you. I panicked before I could actually get a word out, though.”  
“David, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”  
“It’s okay… well, not really, but I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it to happen. Our marriage hasn’t had the same spark in years, and I- I think I was just trying to stay hopeful.”

Brad wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t used to seeing David so saddened, and he never wanted to see him like this again. 

“That… sucks.” was all Brad had to offer.  
David wiped at his eyes. “It does, doesn’t it?”  
“What even happened?”  
“She just came home last night and told me she wanted a divorce.” David shrugged. “She won’t talk it over, either, so I’m stuck.”  
Brad nodded.  
“But, but anyways. That’s why I don’t wanna go home, I’m trying to spend as little time there as I possibly can.”

Brad opened his mouth to speak again, but he really wasn’t even sure what to say. There weren’t any magic words that could make David’s problems go away. 

So, he did the next best thing. 

Brad wrapped his arms around David’s shoulders, pulling him into an embrace. Brad’s heart was beating a mile a minute as David’s hands settled across his back. He held tightly to the back of Brad’s sweater, keeping his head hidden in the crook of Brad’s neck. Brad wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, but neither of them seemed to have any intention of letting each other go. 

Brad only put his arms down when David eventually loosened his grip.  
“Thank you,” David said. “I really think I needed that.”  
Brad smiled, and David gave one in return. It was small, and it faded quickly, but it was still so genuine. Brad suppressed the urge to kiss him right then and there. Doing something like that would make things worse. 

David sighed deeply. “I’ll probably be okay to go home now, I’m gonna have to face… all of this sooner or later.”  
“Okay.” Brad said as he stood, offering his hand to help David up as well. 

They went out into the parking garage together, Brad walking David to his car. David wrapped Brad in another hug before opening the door and getting in the driver’s seat. 

“You’re gonna be okay.” Brad reassured.  
“I’ll- I’ll be okay.” David repeated. “Maybe a little lonely at first, but I’ll make it through.”

Brad could relate to the feeling of loneliness, having lived by himself since he graduated college. It was always nice to have someone around, which is why he went and offered his hospitality. 

“If you ever need to get away for a night or two, you can always stay at my place.”  
“Thank you, Brad.” David smiled again. “I’ll keep that in mind.”  
Brad hit the top of David’s car with his hand, backing up and watching as David pulled away.

Brad took a deep breath, shaking his head and walking off to his own car. He started the ignition and sat in silence for a minute.

He was gonna be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> iandavid college best friends is canon (rob told me himself)
> 
> had the scene at the end where brad comforts david written in my notes for a different fic, but i think it’s fitting


	6. Non-Player Character

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> s1e6- Non-Player Character
> 
> Brad and David finally get a chance to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the office divider is gone hehe
> 
> bradrachel and davidsue friendship rights in the same chapter hell yeah
> 
> i already have chapters 7 and 8 written, so those will be up soon

_**“Sometimes a fireman has to grab a hose, and put out the fire alone.”**_  
_**“Okay, I’m gonna go give this backstory to Dana while David plays with his hose.”**_ ****

Brad laughed quietly to himself as he left the room. He had a feeling that the joke would make David at least a little flustered.

Brad wished he could’ve stayed in the room to see David’s reaction, knowing how cute David got when he got embarrassed, but he didn’t wanna risk anything with C.W. being in there. He was one of the people who _didn’t_ need to be informed about Brad’s love life. C.W. was totally supportive of Brad being gay, and Brad was happy about that, but he still wanted to eliminate the chance of getting unsolicited romantic advice from an 81 year-old man. 

It had been almost a week since Brad and David first kissed, and they still hadn’t talked about it. Brad was never one to talk about his feelings, hence all the one night stands he had had over the years, but he didn’t want to risk fucking everything up with David. Things needed to be clarified nonetheless, and Brad was sure David had a couple questions of his own, so having a serious conversation was inevitable. Hell, they had been avoiding it so much it was practically overdue. 

David had tried talking to Brad about the kiss before their meeting on Thursday morning. He took a seat at his usual spot next to Brad in the conference room, carefully turning towards him. David barely even got a word out before Ian came bursting through the door, Poppy following close behind and arguing with him about something. Brad shot David an apologetic look, and that was the end of it. 

For the next few days, Brad barely saw David at all. One of them would enter their office just as the other had to leave, or David would be downstairs visiting Sue, or Brad had to be working on Dana’s stream. It just never seemed like the right time. 

Friday, two days after he and David kissed, Brad had made an effort to come into work early. He got to the building before David, which was his plan, and took down the divider that separated their desks. He was in there before the rest of the staff, not used to being the only one there. Friday mornings were usually busy, so having silence now was a definite change of pace. Right as he was about to step into his office, a voice called his name. 

“Brad?”  
Brad whipped around to see Rachel, moving towards the doorway of the testers lounge.  
“Shit, Rachel, hey.”  
“What are you doing here so early?” Rachel asked, yawning.  
“I could ask you the same thing.” Brad said smugly.  
“I stayed late last night and lost track of time.”  
“You played MQ _all_ night?”  
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Rachel said in defense. “So why are you here?”  
Brad played with the straps of his laptop bag, contemplating whether or not to tell Rachel the truth. He reached into the side pocket of his bag and pulled out one of the small screwdrivers he had brought. 

Brad gestured behind him. “I’m gonna get rid of that divider in my office.”  
“That seems, unnecessarily complicated.”  
“Yeah, but it’s for a good reason.”  
Rachel leaned forward slightly. “Ooo, what’s the reason?”  
“We’re not on that level of friendship yet.”  
“But we’re friends? I never thought I’d hear you admit that, Bakshi.”  
“If friends help each other dismantle office dividers, then you can be my friend.”  
Rachel’s eyes widened. “Are you asking me for help? You’re full of surprises today, man.”  
“Are we taking this thing apart or not?”  
Rachel smiled and rolled her eyes, joining Brad in his office.

Brad and Rachel had an unlikely bond. When Rachel announced she was a lesbian during the Ethics Committee ordeal, Brad immediately felt less alone. He wasn’t the only gay person at the office. He approached her a day later and just, came out. No hesitation, no nothing, just simply saying “I’m gay.” Brad was pretty sure that’s the easiest doing that had ever been. Obviously, Rachel accepted him, and they mutually agreed to help each other out if they needed it.  
Rachel often came to him to gush about Dana, and he was more of a listener than a talker. She tried to get him to reveal things about himself, but he rarely budged. Despite their differences, they got along really well. 

They weren’t quite to the stage of friendship where they spent all of their time together, but they certainly never shied away from each other’s company. 

Rachel was the type of friend who would always be honest with you, even if it came off as harsh. But as Brad found out, she was also the type of friend who wouldn’t hesitate to help you take apart an entire office divider just so you can get closer to your crush. 

They both disassembled the divider with relative ease, Brad sitting on the floor and Rachel standing to make sure no parts of it fell onto Brad. 

Once it was done, they still had the office to themselves. There was bound to be staff coming in any minute now, but Brad liked having the quiet for a little bit. Brad started for the kitchen to make himself coffee, Rachel following behind. Brad handed her a mug, leaning back against the counter as he sipped his drink.

“I dismantled the divider for David.” Brad said suddenly, figuring he might as well tell Rachel this, if anyone.  
“Did he want it gone?” Rachel asked.  
Brad stared into his cup. “No, but I was hoping it could bring us closer, or something.”  
“Oh. I think I get what you’re saying.”  
“We sort of… actually nevermind. It’s not important.”  
“You can tell me, Brad.” Rachel said, coming over and leaning next to him. “I’m not gonna judge you.”  
Brad looked around the office and lowered his voice. “We kissed the other night.”  
Brad wasn’t even sure if he should be telling anyone this, but the words were out there, and it’s not like he could change anything about it now. 

Rachel’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”  
“I don’t think I even could be.” Brad said, and he was being honest. Kissing David was almost unreal, and it was something Brad only ever had imagined before.  
“Well, good for you!”  
“Thanks, I guess. We still haven’t really talked about it yet. Serious conversations don’t usually go well for me.”  
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Rachel reassured. “There’s no way he doesn’t like you, man.”  
“Thanks, Rachel. And thanks for helping with the divider.”  
“It’s no problem. You’re surprisingly fun to spend time with.”  
Brad rolled his eyes, taking another swig of coffee and noting the few workers that were trickling into the office. Brad caught sight of David stepping out of the elevator, and his face went hot. Rachel looked at him, and then looked at David walking in, and smiled softly. 

“You’ll be okay.” Rachel told Brad.  
Brad exhaled. “I really hope you’re right.”  
“I guess we have to actually start the work day now, huh.”  
“Yeah, I guess we do.”  
“I’ll see you later, man. Come find me if you need anything”  
Brad nodded. “Will do.”  
Rachel smiled and gave Brad a high five before she walked off. 

Brad made his way back to his own office, picking up a fidget cube from the table and sitting at his desk. David came in a few minutes later, and stopped in his tracks. He pointed a finger to where the divider was, and then back at Brad, furrowing his eyebrows. David sat down at his desk, swiveling around in the chair. He opened his mouth to speak when Poppy barged into their office. She whisked David away, barely giving him time to settle in for the morning. David shrugged at Brad as he left the room, mouthing the words “later.”

Brad sighed, trying to figure out how and when he would be able to talk to David. His schedule was pretty packed for the day, and knowing their luck they wouldn’t have enough time alone together. 

The weekend was a no, as Brad and David both figured it would be best to talk in person, and neither of them made any effort to meet up. Brad just wanted to get this over with. 

It was Tuesday now, and Brad stopping in to talk to C.W. was the most he and David had been alone together. David clearly seemed preoccupied and Brad didn’t exactly have a free schedule either. Brad strolled back to C.W.’s office, fiddling with Dana’s backstory in his hand. He had a feeling that C.W. was gonna lose it over the AC unit soon enough, which likely would’ve been entertaining to watch play out. If anything, it would just keep him distracted. But David seemed to be dealing with him just fine for the time being. 

Brad knew that David often stayed late for work, and had a strong feeling that they wouldn’t go the whole day without speaking again. 

Brad wiped his hands on his pants, feeling infinitely more on edge. He shook his head, continuing on down the hallway. 

_It’s just David,_ Brad thought. _Conversations like this don’t have to be scary._

Brad wanted nothing more than to believe his own words. 

—

David wanted nothing more than to talk to Brad.  
Tensions had been high at MQ, both of their schedules were packed tight and there wasn’t much of a chance for them to spend time alone. It had been a week, and David only grew increasingly nervous from waiting. 

When he had walked into work on Friday morning, seeing the divider missing from his and Brad’s office was a surprise. The room looked bigger, and being able to see Brad from his desk certainly was an added bonus. That divider had been up for all 3 years that Brad had been working there, David finding it assembled in their office still only during Brad’s first week. For 3 years, David wanted to take it down. He just never thought Brad eventually might’ve wanted it gone too.

Poppy immediately needed David for something when he had arrived at the office that morning, so being able to talk to Brad was once again off the table. David was looped into some argument between Ian and Poppy for a majority of the morning, and the only times he actually was in his own office, Brad’s desk was empty. 

On his lunch break, he stepped into the elevator and hit the button that would take him to the basement. The basement was deep underground, and being down there alone usually started to give him the creeps. He quickly strode down the hallway, stopping outside one of the office doors. He knocked once, about to twist the knob when the door swung open. 

“Good morning, David!” Sue greeted cheerily, walking over to her desk and gesturing for David to sit down. “It’s very nice to see you.”  
“Hey, Sue.” David said, taking a small salad container out of his bag. Sue followed suit, unwrapping a sandwich. 

They often ate lunch together, when David had no work to catch up on during his break. He knew how lonely Sue would get, down in the basement by herself, so he tried to visit as much as he could. Sue was probably the sweetest person David had ever met, and if he was being honest, she was probably his best friend. 

David and Sue only ever spent brief amounts of time together when they first met, but they never really had a friendship until shortly after Anna filed for divorce. She was the second person who was there to comfort him, the first being Brad. David had come down to see Sue one morning, for something work-related, but she immediately picked up that something was wrong. It wasn’t hard to tell that David wasn’t doing very well, but nobody really paid any mind to ask what was wrong. 

Sue had noticed that he looked tired, and she mentioned it to David, but he dismissed it as not getting enough sleep. He wasn’t technically lying, because he had slept on his couch yet again the night before, and definitely had a difficult time adjusting. When David handed some paperwork off to Sue, he watched as Sue’s eyes caught sight of his missing wedding ring. She looked up at him with a sympathetic look. 

“Oh, David.” Sue said, rushing forward to wrap David in a hug. Her arms squeezed around David’s shoulders, and he crossed his arms over her back. “If you ever want to come down and talk, my door’s always open.”  
“Thanks, Sue.” 

Months later found David sitting in her office as Sue waved her hand in front of David’s face.  
“You okay, David?” Sue asked. “I lost you there for a moment.”  
“Yeah, just a little distracted.” David answered, giving a quick smile and nod. “How’s your day been?”  
“Same old regular work. Our players really just find more and more to complain about by the day, don’t they?”  
David laughed, putting a forkful of salad into his mouth. “It seems like it.”  
“Don’t let me bore you with all this, how are things going upstairs?”

David considered that for a moment. MQ had been busier than normal, having to adjust to PootieShoe dropping the game. Then of course, there was the whole situation with Brad, and the fact that they had kissed just two nights before.

“Hectic.” David stated, unsure if there was a better word to describe it. “Pootie leaving really has done a number on all of us.”  
“I bet.” Sue said, tilting her head slightly. “There’s something else going on, isn’t there?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I know you well enough to know when you’re preoccupied with something. What’s on your mind?” 

David wasn’t surprised that Sue noticed he wasn’t fully present. She was always good at observing people, just like David was. He didn’t see the harm in telling Sue about Brad, and it’s not like she would gossip about this.

David swallowed. “Promise not to tell anyone?”  
Sue nodded, leaning forward.  
“Brad kissed me the other night.”  
“David, that’s so exciting!”  
“Yeah, it was pretty great.” David’s entire face was pink, just the thought of kissing Brad was able to make him blush.  
“Well, lover boy,” Sue teased. “What’s gonna happen next?”

“I’m… not sure. I’ve been trying to talk to him about the kiss, but we keep getting interrupted. I mean, the night it happened he seemed like he.. regretted it.” David nervously looked up at Sue again. “Do you think he regrets it?”  
“Oh, hon. I’m sure he doesn’t. He probably just was processing what happened, is all.”

David nodded. “Thanks. I know I talk a lot, but you always know what to say.”  
“It’s no problem, I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me these things.”  
“You can keep telling me about your day, I promise it’s not boring.”  
Sue grinned and continued to talk. 

They finished their lunch just as David’s phone went off, signaling that his break was over.  
“Thanks for always coming to visit me.” Sue said happily as David stood up.  
“Oh, of course,” David replied. “I like spending time with you.”  
Sue beamed again, though it was rare if she didn’t have a smile on her face. Being with Sue always put David in a good mood, so that was another reason he loved her so much.

Sue gave David a tight hug and kissed his cheek quickly before he left.  
“Tell me how things go with Brad.” Sue said.  
“I will,” David promised. “I’ll see you soon.”

David was suddenly broken away from thinking about his conversation with Sue by C.W. mumbling and pacing near his desk.

 _Right,_ David thought. _C.W. is still here._

He was in the middle of talking to the machine that Brad brought in, which David was almost positive was an air conditioner. David didn’t pay much mind when Dana came in the room, talking to C.W. about a backstory he wrote for her. David glanced at C.W., who looked as confused as ever. 

“Is it true? Has a cold, calculating machine produced a story that can stir the human spirit to such a degree?” C.W. asked aloud, clearly defeated.  
“Ah, C.W., don’t let Brad get inside your head, y’know?” 

David could speak from experience on that, knowing how easily Brad could occupy a person’s thoughts. Although, the things about Brad that David thought about certainly weren’t the same as other people’s. Regardless, Brad was great at mind games, knowing just which buttons to push to drive you into the deep end. Oddly enough, that was one of the things David liked about Brad. 

When David’s attention was brought back to the computer, the next few moments went by in a flash. The Masked Man had killed him, which C.W. insisted wasn’t just a bug. David pulled his headphones off of his neck, but before he knew it he was standing, with C.W.’s hands firmly holding onto his fleece. 

C.W. lightly shook David to punctuate his words, making him tense up, and only one thing crossed David’s mind. He thought about his father. He quickly recognized the way C.W. was acting, because it was exactly the same as David’s father would do when he had been drinking too much. He could smell the alcohol on C.W. as well, which wasn’t helping the situation. The smell of whiskey, the painfully familiar tight grip on his shirt, and the sudden movement made David want to close in on himself, but he quickly pushed the memories away before they became too overwhelming. 

David broke away from C.W.’s grasp, taking in a breath and immediately feeling more calm. He pulled out his phone to call Poppy, watching out of the corner of his eye as C.W. walked back over to the AC unit. He wheeled it out of the office within a few minutes, and that was that. 

David could only think of Brad again, comparing how scared he was when C.W. grabbed him to how he felt when Brad did. He missed having Brad in the office with him all the time, and how they used to act around each other. 

Whenever David was struggling, or totally out of it, Brad was there to calm him. The fact that he was still a little put off by C.W. was something Brad could’ve helped with. Of course, nobody but David knew how caring Brad was, and nobody would believe it if David told them how many panic attacks Brad had talked him down from. 

David missed Brad, despite the fact that they could still technically see each other whenever they wanted to. _If_ they wanted to. 

David wheeled his chair back, continuously glancing at his phone to see if Poppy would call him back. She never did. Even when the Masked Man disappeared and he left her a panicked voicemail. Each moment in the afternoon just seemed weirder than the next. 

How he went from sitting quietly in his office and trying to find the Masked Man, to spectating as Ian and C.W. demolished an air conditioner, David wasn’t sure. Brad was taking pictures of the scene, making excited faces towards David as he angled another photo. Even when Poppy came back, demanding to know what was going on, David kept looking over at Brad. She pulled him away from the main room of the studio, yelling about the office being insane. He wasn’t sure what she meant when she said “up until today,” but he figured he could just ask her another time. 

Finding out the game had been hacked definitely didn’t help anybody’s situation, and it stayed on David’s mind for the rest of the afternoon. 

—

Brad collapsed onto the couch in his office once he got in there. The day was long, and it involved lots of conspiring with Dana about how to mess with C.W., but then having to actually deal with C.W. and his panicked state. Still, he thought that pretending the AC unit was able to write was a pretty genius idea. 

Brad was tired, mainly from running around from place to place all day. Working on Dana’s stream was helping as a distraction from the whole situation with David, but he was feeling overwhelmed. He had been able to get a little bit of his frustrations out of his system during the fiasco in the studio earlier. 

While Ian and C.W. were taking turns hitting the AC, Brad had watched as Poppy dragged David away into her office. His mind wouldn’t stop wandering to their kiss, and the knowledge that they’d talk about it sooner or later just added onto it. Ian tapped Brad on the shoulder, taking his eyes away from where David had been standing. Brad gave Ian a look up and down, noticing he was holding the baseball bat out towards Brad. Brad smirked and took hold of the handle, swinging it at the AC unit. Ian cheered him on with each swing of the bat. He only hit it a total of 3 times, but he couldn’t deny that it felt nice to channel his emotions into something instead of just bottling them up. 

Brad laid down fully on the couch, tossing a small bean bag toy into the air and catching it when it came back down. He repeated the action for a few minutes, zoning completely in on the bean bag rising and falling. There was still probably a little bit of work he could do, but he thought that he deserved a break. Plus, nobody was in the office with him to tell him to stay on task. 

The office door opened and Brad jumped, fumbling the bean bag and dropping it onto the floor. Brad propped himself up on his elbows, turning around as David came over to sit next to him. Brad swung his legs off the couch so David had enough room. They both could easily fit on their couch, but Brad chose to stay tucked into the left corner. 

At first, neither of them spoke. David kept his eyes forward, leg bouncing rapidly, and Brad could still only focus on David. 

“So,” Brad broke the silence with. “We should probably talk, right?”  
“Yeah.” David added quietly.  
“I just wanna start out by saying that I wasn’t intentionally trying to avoid you. I know we were both busy, but I have to admit that I’m a little scared to have this conversation.”  
“What is there to be scared about?”

Brad didn’t even know where to start with his answer. He was mostly scared to talk, because he knew that talking made things real, and that meant the possibility of a relationship, and that could lead to arguments or anything of the sort. He was scared of committing, he was scared of David getting hurt, or that he wouldn’t be happy. Their possible future together was hard to make out, and Brad was overwhelmed by the uncertainty of it all. 

“Um, I’m sure you probably have a couple questions, I know I do.” Brad said, partially changing the subject.  
David tilted his head. “A few are coming to mind.”  
“You can go first, I guess.”

David didn’t make eye contact until he started talking, but he shifted his body slightly so they could be facing each other. “Was the hose joke really necessary?”  
Brad laughed. “I thought it was pretty funny, and is that really the first question you have?”  
“I didn’t wanna start off too strong,” David explained, laughing quietly. “We can take turns asking questions, so you go now.”

Brad pondered for a moment, trying to figure out the best approach.  
“Have you told anyone about the kiss?” Brad settled on saying.  
“I only told Sue. Did _you_ tell anyone?”  
“Rachel.”  
“Hm, I didn’t know you two were friends.”  
“I mean, she helped me take down the divider the other morning.”

David looked surprised, and Brad thought that maybe David didn’t know that’s why the divider was gone. Brad had put it up during his first week at work, hoping it would distance him from David enough to make his crush go away. Clearly, it didn’t work. For all 3 years that Brad kept the divider, he always hated it. He knew that taking it down just after they had kissed didn't do much, but it was a step. 

“Another question,” David said cautiously. “It’s a more serious one.”  
Brad swallowed and nodded, allowing David to continue.  
“What did the kiss mean to you?”

“If you couldn’t tell, I like you, a lot, and I sort of acted on an impulse when I kissed you. I’ve honestly been wanting to do it for a while, so it just felt like the right time.”  
“I’m glad you did. I, uh, wasn’t totally expecting it, but I- I like you too.”

“And you kissed me back.” Brad pointed out.  
David’s face went pink. “I did.”  
“I didn’t even know you liked me. Or guys, in general, now that I think about it.”  
“Well, I’m… I’m bisexual, and you’re one of very few people to actually know that.” 

David let out a breath, and Brad realized how big of a confession that had to have been for him. 

Another question popped into Brad’s head. “How long have you known?”  
“It’s sort of a complicated answer.” David chuckled. “I realized when I was 16, but I didn’t really like that part of myself, and, and my parents definitely wouldn’t have approved. I never fully accepted my sexuality until like, right after my divorce.” 

Brad watched as David fiddled with his hands, absentmindedly rubbing the spot where his wedding ring used to be.  
“That must’ve been hard, internalizing everything for nearly 30 years.”  
“I got used to it.”

There was a pregnant pause as Brad looked at David, who was still touching his ring finger. Brad reached out his hand and linked it with David’s. David broke his eyes away from the floor and smiled softly at Brad. 

“What about you? Are you…” David asked, trailing off.  
“Gay?” Brad clarified, and David nodded. “Yes, I’m surprised you never noticed.”  
“I didn’t _not_ notice.”  
Brad let go of David’s hand. “What does _that_ mean?”

“Well, you’ve never mentioned a girlfriend or a wife, or any relationship, actually. And there’s also,” David made a few exaggerated hand movements. “You know.”

Brad brought his closed fists up to his chest, furrowing his eyebrows at David. He looked down at his hands before laughing and folding them in his lap. “Shut up.”

David laughed and grabbed one of Brad’s hands again. “So how long have _you_ known?”  
“Since I was about 12, maybe 13. But hey, it’s my turn to ask a question.”  
David rolled his eyes.  
“How long have you liked me, specifically?”  
“The day of the Raven’s Banquet launch was the day I actually came to terms with it.” David said quietly. 

Brad remembered how strange David had been acting those few days, and it all clicked into place. “That… makes sense.”  
“Well, what about you?” David asked, running his thumb along the side of Brad’s hand.  
“Oh boy,” Brad exhaled. “Maybe sort of since my first day working at MQ?”  
David’s eyes widened and his cheeks flushed pink. “Brad, that’s.. that’s 3 years.”  
“Almost 4.” Brad added.  
“You didn’t even plan on telling me?”  
“Not while you were married, dumbass.”  
David paused. “Okay, fair point.”

Brad looked over at David in time to see his facial expression change. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he bit his lip as if he were debating whether to actually say it. Brad’s attention was drawn to their intertwined hands, and he felt David tense. 

“D-Train, are you alright?” Brad asked.  
“I just thought of another question.” David confessed. “Well, it’s sort of the only question that’s been on my mind, but I figured that I might as well ask it now.”  
“Okay.”  
“It’s kind of serious.”  
Brad breathed in, trying to not let David see how anxious he was getting. “Okay.”

David released his hold on Brad’s hand. “Do you want a relationship?”  
Brad’s mind went blank, his face felt hot and his entire body felt jittery. “It’s sort of a complicated answer.”  
“That’s okay,” David reassured, though he seemed worried. “Take your time.”

Brad ran through every possible scenario he could come up with in his head. He imagined what would happen if he told David no, saying relationships weren’t for him. Brad could picture something casual between the two of them, maybe hooking up a few times, but never resulting in anything permanent. That’s what he was used to when he met guys he liked. 

David was different though, he wasn’t like anyone Brad had ever met. If Brad told David no, there were 2 foreseeable outcomes. 

The first was continuing to hook up, keeping it a secret, but it wouldn’t last. David would lose feelings, or meet someone new, and Brad would be left alone, with an aching heart.  
The second outcome was David taking Brad’s “no” as an immediate rejection, ending with David getting upset, and things starting back at square one. 

If Brad told David no, it would end with someone getting hurt, even if Brad wasn’t sure who.

Telling David yes was a different story. Considering how stressed he was at the thought of just answering, hinted that a relationship would just put more pressure on him. Brad thought about what could happen, just for the hell of it. 

If Brad told David yes, they would start a relationship. Commitment was far from Brad’s strong suit, but he could work through it if it made David happy. Brad could envision their relationship lasting for a good amount of time, but it would ultimately crumble. Brad would be scared of not being good enough, of getting judged, of showing too little affection, of breaking David’s heart. He would get so stuck in his head that he wouldn’t be able to handle being in a relationship anymore, and he would hope they would end on good terms. Maybe David would see through it quicker than that, and David would be the first to call things off. 

Brad considered one more result of saying yes, which was then being happy together. It would start off a little rocky, but Brad would eventually work through his issues, and he would love David openly. He liked the idea of spending all of his hours with David, being able to kiss without having to hide it, falling asleep together, all the stuff that made relationships so special. Those thoughts almost made this all worth it. 

But then Brad felt nervous again, knowing how easily things could get messed up. He just needed time. 

Brad didn’t know how long he had gone silent for, but David gently nudged his arm.  
“Are you okay?” David asked.  
“Sorry, I got caught in my head a little bit.”  
“Was it because of my question?”  
Brad kissed his teeth. “Yeah, but I think I have an answer now.”  
David nodded, waiting for Brad to continue.

“I really like you, David.” Brad announced, paying attention to the subtle change in David’s facial expression. Brad realized that his sentence was phrased like a rejection, which he had to make clear that that wasn’t what was happening. 

“I want to date you,” Brad continued, drawing in another breath. “But would it be okay if we don’t put a label on anything yet? I need some time to get used to this.”  
David nodded, looking relieved. “We don’t have to rush it, that’s perfectly okay.”

“It’s just, the last relationship I was in ended very poorly, and I get caught up in that sometimes, so I still need time to adjust to people seeing me with someone again. And to actually being with someone again.”  
“Brad, it’s okay. I’m no stranger to rocky relationships.”  
Brad nodded. “Thank you, commitment is a big step for me, but I’m glad you’re okay with not labeling us yet.”

Hearing himself refer to him and David as “us” was definitely new, but Brad liked the sound of it. 

David put his hands on Brad’s shoulders, pulling him into a hug. It was similar to the first night David had told Brad about his divorce, only David was the one initiating the hug this time. David’s hugs were always tight and warm, his arms were strong, easily wrapping around Brad’s thin body. This hug didn’t linger as long as some of their other ones, but Brad appreciated the comfort while it lasted. 

Brad tilted his head once they pulled away, a smirk appearing on his lips.  
“W-what?” David asked, pointing at Brad. “What’s that face?”  
Brad’s smile grew wider. “I have one last question.”  
David raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”  
“Can I kiss you again?”  
David’s face went red, which made Brad laugh, but he nodded. 

Brad leaned in, putting the tips of his fingers along David’s jaw. He moved close enough so their lips were just barely brushing, allowing for David to make the first move. They stayed still for a quiet moment, until David pulled Brad closer with a hand on the back of his neck and threaded his fingers through Brad’s hair. He closed the gap between them, and Brad let his eyes fall shut. David’s lips were rough, likely cracked from how often he bit them, but Brad didn’t even care. The kiss was sweeter than their first, a gentle press of their lips rather than a crash, and Brad savored as much of it as he could. 

David eventually had to pull away first from smiling too wide, and Brad only looked down at his lap and grinned. He kissed _David,_ the guy he’d been pining over for 3 years, and David kissed _him._ Brad couldn’t believe that this was a real situation he was in. 

David touched a finger to his own lips. “Shit, sorry, my lips are super chapped.”  
“Didn’t matter to me,” Brad said, reaching into his pocket. “But here.”  
He held out his own tube of lip balm.  
“Isn’t that yours, though?”  
“D-Man, we literally _just_ kissed each other. I don’t care about sharing my chapstick with you.”  
David blushed. “Right.”

Brad huffed out a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”  
“Not as ridiculous as you using strawberry chapstick.”  
“Touché.”

David handed Brad his chapstick, sitting quietly and pressing his lips together. Brad applied a small amount of it himself, smiling softly at David pointing out the flavor. 

As much as Brad preferred bitter tastes, especially when it came to coffee, he had a bit of a sweet tooth. It was a little unexpected, and Brad remembered even Rachel teasing him for the fruity flavor when she first noticed it. 

David knocked his knee into Brad’s, getting his attention.  
“It’s after hours now, we both should probably head home soon.” David said, pulling back his sleeve to look at his watch. 

Brad nodded, standing to grab his things from his desk. He rolled his shoulders as he stood, his back cracking loudly.

“You’re so old.” David teased.  
“Yeah, and you’re still older than me.” Brad shot back.  
David rolled his eyes, grabbing his laptop bag off of his chair. He leaned against the doorframe just as Brad grabbed his coat.  
“Are you not leaving?” Brad asked, packing his iPad away.  
“I’m waiting for you,” David explained. “I’ll walk you to your car.”  
“Such a gentleman.”  
David hit Brad on the arm, laughing. “You’re so annoying.”  
Brad shrugged. 

They walked into the parking garage, breathing in the cool night air. Brad took his keys from his pocket, unlocking his car. They hugged again, something Brad wouldn’t get tired of. 

“I’m glad we could talk things over,” Brad said over David’s shoulder. “Thanks for always understanding.”  
David pulled away. “Like I said, keeping this casual is fine.”  
Brad smiled, opening the car door. Before he got in, Brad quickly stepped over just to press a kiss to David’s lips. Unsurprisingly, it tasted like strawberries.  
“See you tomorrow, Dave.”  
David grinned, stumbling over his words. “Yeah, uh bye, Brad.”

Brad put the key into the ignition, turning it and carefully backing out of his parking space. He watched as David gave a small wave goodbye, unable to stop smiling. Brad saw him excitedly pump his fist from the rearview mirror. David obviously didn’t realize Brad could still see him, but he didn’t want that to ruin David’s moment. 

Brad drove home quietly, keeping the radio on low. He hummed along to the song _Number One Fan_ by MUNA, a personal favorite of his. 

When Brad pulled into his driveway, he turned off the car and rested his head against the seat behind him. He drummed his fingers along the top of his steering wheel, letting out a sigh of relief. Brad closed his eyes as a wide smile broke out across his face. 

Maybe this would turn out better than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had to include a mention of brad’s gay hands, and also the fact that he listens to MUNA b/c how could he not
> 
> okay so i know brad is quite out of character in this but i like the idea of him being secretly very nice
> 
> comments are awesome, whether they’re about the chapter or predictions for s2 or something else woot woot


End file.
